


Antarctica

by Lothiriel84



Category: The Infinite Bad (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Season/Series 06 Spoilers, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 21:03:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16048508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lothiriel84/pseuds/Lothiriel84
Summary: Who is the third who walks always beside you?When I count, there are only you and I togetherBut when I look ahead up the white roadThere is always another one walking beside you





	Antarctica

**Author's Note:**

> **Do not read unless you've listened to part 8 of _The Doom of Antarctica_**

It’s only much later as they trudge through the snow, Richard Byrd and his men urging them on, that she first sees it out of the corner of her eye. She shakes her head and trains her gaze on the horizon; her grief is playing tricks on her mind, and even if that wasn’t the case, she’s utterly exhausted, and ever so cold.

She all but ignores the looks of concern Joy and Dorothy give her in turn, when they think she doesn’t see them; she might be delirious, or even struggling through the early stages of hypothermia, but she’d rather die than admit her weakness – not here, not now. The apparition has at least the decency to refrain from any attempt at getting her attention; she knows it’s still walking beside her, but she never once turns around, and it seems to respect her decision.

It’s not until they’re escorted on board the ship, Rear Admiral Byrd eyeing her dubiously when she asserts that she’s perfectly fine, as loudly as her advanced age and her waning strength allows her to, that she finally acknowledges him. Feeling every second of the past ten years weighing down on her like a ton of bricks, bone-deep weariness only adding to the plethora of unspeakable horrors they have been faced with at every turn, she turns her gaze on him, her nails digging into her palms.

“You idiot,” she says, matter-of-factly. There’s no anger left inside of her, only frosty, echoing emptiness; she still won’t cry, it’s not who she is, no matter what the circumstances.

“I know,” he nods, staring at his hands, a sad smile tugging at his features. “I’m sorry, Mrs Cavendish.”

“You _died_ , Sebastian. It’s not me you should feel sorry for.”

“Yes, well.” He falls silent again; words don’t seem to be coming any easier to him now in his incorporeal form than they did when he was still alive.

She clamps down on the tears that are burning at the back of her throat, but she can’t quite ignore the hollowing ache stirring in her chest at the mere sight of him. “I’m going to ask one thing of you, Sebastian, and that is never to show yourself to either Dorothy or Joy. I’m an old woman, and I don’t have much time left either way, but they still have all their lives ahead of them.”

“You don’t need to worry about that, Mrs Cavendish – it appears that you’re the only one capable of seeing me.”

“Good,” she exhales, and closes her eyes, letting her head fall back against the solidity of the ship’s decking. Silence falls between them, and for a moment there, she almost fancies she can hear him breathing.

“Are you planning to follow me all the way back to London?” she enquires at length, regardless that she’s pretty sure she already knows the answer.

“Well, it’s not as if I’ve got anything better to do,” he utters at length, his tone halfway between apologetic and wry. “Or anywhere else to go, for that matter.”

“Fine. You can stay in the attic. It’s not as if I was planning to use it anyway.”

He chuckles, and it takes all of her willpower not to succumb to a fresh wave of sorrow and grief. “Who’d have thought that I was going to spend the rest of my days haunting _your_ attic.”

“I swear, if you weren’t already dead, I would be tempted to kill you with my own hands.”

“Too late for that,” he chuckles once more, and she doesn’t cry, but it’s close enough.


End file.
